Water skiboards ("skiboards") are a relatively new recreational product related to slalom water skis. A skiboard is typically, although not always, wider and shorter than a slalom water ski that a person of given weight and ability would use. In addition, the bindings on a skiboard are mounted such that the user's feet are positioned side-by-side, at an angle to the long dimension of the skiboard. By contrast, with a slalom water ski, the bindings are positioned one in front of the other, so that the skier's feet extend parallel to the long dimension of the ski.
Because the bindings on known skiboards are mounted at an angle to the long dimension thereof, it tends to be difficult for a skiboard user to get up from a starting position in the water to the standing position the user assumes when the skiboard is pulled across the surface of the water. Currently, a skiboard user must either (a) position the skiboard so that its long axis is parallel to the direction of travel of the power boat used to pull the skiboard and user, and then position his or her body at an angle to the direction of travel, or (b) position his or her body so as to face the boat and position the skiboard at an angle to the direction of travel. In either case, it tends to be difficult to get started, with the result that less athletic persons or persons lacking the time to perfect using a skiboard often give up before attaining proficiency. In some cases, the problems associated with "getting up" on a skiboard are enough to prevent certain individuals from even trying to ski with a skiboard. Such problems do not exist with a slalom water ski because the bindings are mounted such that the long axis of the ski and the front of the user's body may be positioned in the direction of travel of the power boat used to pull the skiboard and user.
In the field of snowboarding, bindings have been developed that permit a snowboard user to adjust the rotational orientation of the bindings on the snowboard. One such binding is sold by the French company Look. The Look binding includes (1) a circular plate that is attached to the snowboard via fasteners, e.g., screws, engaged with the snowboard and (2) a footbed having a central aperture for rotatably receiving the circular plate. A lock assembly is provided for locking the footbed in predetermined rotational position with respect to the circular plate. A housing, including one or more fasteners, is attached to the footbed for securing a user's boot to the footbed such that the boot cannot be pulled free of the footbed except when the fasteners are released. Often, a user adjusts the orientation of the binding at the beginning of the season, and then no further adjustments are made.
Another snowboard with rotatably adjustable bindings is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,649 to Chamberlin. The Chamberlin binding is designed to permit a user to rotate the binding slightly from a preselected position by appropriate application of torque applied via the user's boots to the binding. When such torque is no longer applied, elastomeric structure in the binding causes the binding to return to the preselected position. The Chamberlin binding is not designed to permit a user to rotate the binding to a selected position during use of the associated snowboard and then lock the binding in place.
An adjustable binding designed for use with a water skiboard is disclosed in Harris U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,337. The Harris binding includes a foot plate that rests on the top surface of the skiboard and a two-layer strap attached to the plate for securing a user's foot to the plate. The plate is attached by two clamp assemblies to an elongated channel extending lengthwise of the skiboard. The clamp assemblies permit the user to secure the bindings at selected locations along the length of the channel. The clamp assemblies include set screws extending through arcuate slots in the foot plates to allow limited adjustment of the angular positions of the foot plates relative to the length of the skiboard. The range of rotation of each foot plate is limited to the normal riding positions, i.e., in the most forward rotated position of each foot plate it extends at an angle of about 45.degree. to the length of the board. Furthermore, two set screws must be loosened before the foot plate can be repositioned, and must be tightened to secure the foot plate in place, and, when the clamp assemblies are loosened to permit the bindings to be rotated to a new position, the bindings are also free to move along the length of the skiboard. Such longitudinal movement of the bindings is undesirable when only rotational repositioning is desired. The Harris construction is not adapted for convenient adjustment of the rotational position of water skiboard bindings during use of the skiboard.